Surgery Preparation

Surgery Preparation Advice

Surgery Instructions

Before Surgery

Bath/Groom your pet

After surgery your pet will not be able to get wet for approximately two weeks until their sutures are removed and their incision site healed. Bathing or grooming your pet before surgery is a good idea to ensure they remain clean and smelling nice. Especially for our patients undergoing dental procedures, a clean face means a less messy face after the dental. Please do not bathe less than 24 hours before a procedure to reduce stress for your pet. Be aware that shaving and clipping are necessary for sterile procedures. Your pet will likely be shaved at the surgical site as well as on their legs for intravenous catheter placedment.

Fasting

It is important that your pet's stomach is empty before an anesthetic event as the drugs may cause vomiting and can lead to aspiration pneumonia during recovery. Please do not feed your pet after 8pm the night before surgery. They may have water throughout the night. The day of surgery please don't allow your pet to have any breakfast. If your pet accidentally consumes food please let us know to avoid any serious complications.

Blood Tests

Prior to anesthesia a veterinarian will perform a complete physical examination to identify any existing medical conditions that could complicate the procedure and compromise the health of your pet. There is always the possibility a physical exam alone will not identify all of your pets health problems. Prior to anesthesia, a pre-anesthetic blood test can be performed. Blood tests can reduce the risks of complications as well as identify medical conditions that could require medical treatment in the future. Pets over the age of 6 years old are strongly recommended to have blood tests prior to anesthesia.

Vaccination and Parasite Control

For the safety of your pet and the other patients in our care, it is important that your pets vaccination schedule, worming and flea control is up to date prior to surgery. If you have any questions about your pets vaccination history or appropriate parasite control please contact us.

The Day of Surgery

On the day of surgery, check-in for surgery is at 8am. This admission process will take a few minutes as you will be asked questions about your animal's health and you will also be required to sign an anesthetic consent form. This form describes that no anesthetic or surgical procedure is without some risk to the patient. Every care is taken to ensure the health and safety of your pet- it is our first priority- however, we would be irresponsible not to inform you of the risks involved. We also ask that in the unlikely case that your pet would go into cardiopulmonary arrest would you like us to perform CPR or if you’d like to put a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) order for your pet. IIf you are uneasy about this procedure or the complications that may arise please contact us for more information. We are here to help.

Fees

All fees and costs must be paid on the day of surgery before your pet is discharged.

Patient Discharge

When your pet is discharged you will receive discharge instructions from one of our staff. You will also get an email copy of these notes. Please feel free to ask any questions during the discharge. During your discharge consultation, the staff will let you know if your pet has external sutures. A follow-up to remove their sutures will be needed 10-14 days after surgery. No appointment is needed, but we ask that you come in before 12PM or after 2PM. If you get home and you have any concerns please don't hesitate to get in touch. If the veterinarian has prescribed any medications for your pet the staff will give them to you and explain how to give them to your pet and when. Surgical rechecks are at no cost, so if any concerns arise, please reach out to us.

Pet Pick Up

When you pick your pet up they may be tired and groggy. As such, it is important that they are transported home by vehicle and are not expected to walk there. Once at home they need to be kept confined in a warm place to recover.

The team at AHEB takes the relationship with our clients and patients very seriously. We want you to feel at ease entrusting us with your furry family member and are happy to answer any questions at any stage in the process. We take pride in the services we provide and look forward to working with you to supplying your pet with the very best of care. Please feel free to call us on 828-874-8387 to discuss any of your pet’s needs further.